The PulseTeam, Book One: Origins

Chapter Twenty-Two: Highway To Hell

Part One: Interrogating A Spy

As soon as I ask the ugly imp where Ky is, it flips me the bird. And I mean, it is a straight middle finger! I laugh, because I know that I won't get what I want from a demon just by asking nicely, and even though it's going to be dead after this conversation no matter what, I actually have the power over its fate as of this moment, this point in space and time.

I chuckle and tell Gabe to drop the imp. Then, I say to it, "Listen, buddy, even though you're going to die no matter what the outcome of our little chat is, okay, I have the power over your immediate future as of this moment in space and time. Do you know how completely insignificant you are to Beelzebub right now?"

In a high-pitched, raspy voice it replies, "I'm invaluable to my master--"

And I cut him off, "Expendable is the term you were looking for. Or, disposable, or, dispensable, or replaceable, if you will. Look," I say as I put my hand on its shoulder, "as of this moment, you, my friend, are a liability. And since I've studied your master's thought patterns, I know that, because his days are numbered, he cannot afford, and will not tolerate liabilities on his payroll. I know I certainly wouldn't."

It looks down, and thinks about what I told it. I finish with, "Look, as I said before, you are going to die, no matter what. But, while I am not able to control whether you live or die, I am able to control how you die. You give us what we need, you get a quick, painless death. You flip us another bird, and we respond in kind by giving you back to your master to be killed however way he chooses. Or he just might keep you barely alive to put you through eternal torture. And trust me, I don't think he's gonna be too happy to see you, again."

It contemplates what I told it, and it says, "So, no matter what, I'm going to die, right?"

"Yep," I reply. "It's only a matter of how you want to die."

It looks down, pauses, looks back up, and says, "What did you want to know, again?"

Finally, we're getting somewhere, I think to myself. Then I say, "Where is our friend?"

"Okay," it begins, "we were originally coming for her," he points at Kaitie, "and somehow, we ended up with him, instead. I really don't know how he did it, or how we did it, for that matter, but somehow, we ended up snatching him. That's all I know, I swear."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Suddenly, I feel a strong malignant presence behind me other than the imp in front of me. I turn around and Lian hovers in front of me, her usually wine-colored eyes shining a bright scarlet color. Her eyes are so bright, she's literally almost blinded me. Her skin is a dark tea rose color, her cute little fangs have become quite the set of choppers, her long, dark red nails have changed to talons, her regular-sized tail has become almost seven feet long, and she has grown red, flapping, membranous wings the size of Gabriel's, if not a little bit smaller, and they look just like a bat's wings. And she's hovering in the air with a look on her face that says, "I'm in Instant Kill Mode, right now. Don't miff around with me." She looks like this:



"David," she says in a voice that is not her own, "MOVE."

I plant my feet firmly to the ground on which I'm standing, and I say, "Lian, I know that I can't change the fact that Ky got snatched. We can, however, change the fact that he's down there. Now, I made a promise. I know you're angry, but ripping that imp apart like I know you want to would not only make me a liar, but it would also waste precious time that could've been spent trying to get him back. Besides, I know that you're strong. But you're just not strong like me. So, while I acknowledge your strength, it's nothing compared to mine. Now stand down, before I sit you down."